With the day off and not too much going on in the dorm, it's time to spend way too much time reviewing the first two weeks of season! Without further adieu...
FIRST TIER: THE FRONT-RUNNERS.
(Two weeks into the season, these are the three teams I feel stand out above the rest.)
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE:
Recent sweep of MIT/5-game victory at Vassar shows they're still the team to beat. Virtually all the tools return from last season. Strong setter in Shoemaker, Big middles in Palumbo/Sipe, Ribeiro/Nally on the outside and Fredrickson on the Opp, as well as a strong Libero... There are not many weaknesses to exploit on this team. I expect them to drop a match or two during the season as it's difficult to go undefeated, but they certainly have earned the right to be named the team to beat this season, as they go for back-to-back championships.
UC-SANTA CRUZ:
Owners of arguably the toughest schedule in Division III, this west-coast team will always be in the picture when discussing who could win it all. Although they lose 2008 National POY Brian Shires, All-American Austin Einhorn (he was a sophomore last year, now he's not on the roster... anyone have any information on this?), and Brice Dahlmeier to transferring to Cal, they return All-American Brad Sullivan, and seem to have two strong hitters in Max McDaniel in the middle and Justin Lam at the pin (outside I believe - he had 28 kills in a recent 5-set loss to Pacific, pretty impressive!). I've heard good things abotu Davidson, a 6-9 freshman middle, but the box scores indicate he's not getting too many reps at this time, although you should definitely keep an eye out for him.
Although they'll most likely be transitioning a bit from the players they lost, expect them to be more seasoned come playoff time than most due to the schedule they play. I would be surprised if they didn't get the At-Large bid for the Molten's.
STEVENS COLLEGE:
Currently 5-0 with two convincing wins against NYU and a sweep of Nazareth, Stevens looks to be establishing themselves as the team to beat in the NECVA this season. With the three-headed monster of seniors Cranford/Bocchichio/Trinsey, as well as Grobeis having a year under his belt as their setter, it seems like they've hit their stride early on this season. I wouldn't be shocked to see them 9-0 going into their biggest statement games of the season in my mind, Home at Vassar on February 7th, and at Juniata on February 12th. Be sure to keep your eye on this team!
SECOND TIER: ALWAYS A THREAT.
(Although these teams may not be in the same boat as the first three, any of them could beat any other team at any time.)
JUNIATA:
I'm sure the EIVA posters will feel that they deserve to be in the first tier, but I feel at 1-1 with no D-III matches under their belt, it's fair to put them in the "they can beat everyone, but they haven't done anything this season to put them above the rest" category. They lost a HUGE player in Fritz, as well as another starter in Bock, but the majority of the players return, and you know seniors Werle/Powers will want to go out on top. Wanner seems to be the go-to guy in the first few matches. With 4 matches versus the teams mentioned above, they have quite a few opportunities to make their case to win their 5th National Championship in 6 years.
VASSAR:
They're 0-2, but look at the two losses: They played their first match of the year at Newbury (their 4th match, 2 of the previous ones being against nationally-ranked teams, so they were a bit more prepared), on the road, down 20-14 in game 3 after losing the first two sets, and they still claw back to force a game 5, and a 5-game loss against Springfield with the score being 15-17. They are the best 0-2 team you'll find.
Losing Giunta hurts at the libero position, but Leserman has filled in somewhat nicely. Still, it hurts losing him as a hitter, and although Tully/Miccuci are two strong hitters, Fredrickson looked a bit shaky in the first match, and their passing (although still VERY strong, they take almost every ball with their hands unless it's an absolute bomb) isn't where it was last year, making their offense just a bit more predictable.
They have Penn running the show, whom I feel is the best coach you'll find in Division III. He will get every bit of potential out of them, and although they may start slower than last year, expect them to finish strong.
RIVIER:
In my opinion, the best recruiting class of 2009. They needed an opposite and an outside, which is exactly what they picked up. Only 1 Senior (Wright), but a plethora of veterans in Juniors Hansen (setter), Ferreira (Middle), and O'Neill (Libero). Add high-flying sophomore Andreozzi and transfer (apparently formerly from New Haven?) Austin Soucy, with freshman Corwin on the Opposite, and you have one nasty line-up. Only 1 5-set loss to Carthage to blemish their 7-1 record, this team will turn a few heads down the road if they haven't already done so by beating Ramapo at Ramapo in 4, as well as dismantling Philly Bible in 3. On top of that, Coach Kolek is one of the most under-rated coaches in Division III, and he will be sure like Penn to make sure his team continues to move forward.
RAMAPO:
Already in the Molten's due to hosting, this team still has a shot at winning the NECVA tournament to further justify being awarded the tournament. They lost a great opposite in Whitford, but Donahue is still a great hitter, their defense is some of the best in Division III, and they are as deep as any other team you'll find. They're 4-1, surviving a tough start to their schedule (4-set loss to Rivier, 5-set wins over Newbury/Hunter, sweep of PBU). Not the toughest schedule, but a good back-to-back against Vassar on February 28th and Stevens on March 4th will be a good gauge to see where they're at towards the end of the season.
NEWBURY:
5-1 with a 5-set loss to Ramapo with 2 of the lost sets being decided by 2 points is a decent start to the season, especially with wins over teams like Vassar/Hunter. Lots of talent, led by setter Matt Talamantes and middle Mark Thomas, this team still is a diamond in the rough. A bit inconsistent, but rising to the occasion when necessary (such as coming back from an 0-2 defecit to defeat Emmanuel this weekend), this team has the talent to go far: Whether they will or not remains to be seen.
NAZARETH:
They lost a lot of talent to graduation, but with All-American Leahy running the shoe, Petzoldt/Gimello on the sides, a strong libero and others filling in nicely, they seem to be off to a decent start, with losses to St. Francis (apparently a surprise team for the year) and Stevens. With wins against Hunter/NYU, they seem to be heading in the right direction, although there is still work to be done. Keep your eyes on their matches on Feb. 13-14 against trio of UC-Santa Cruz/EMU/Carthage.
THIRD TIER: NOBODY BELIEVED IN US!
(Stolen from Bill Simmons of ESPN: These teams are talented, but are not going to get the attention they probably deserve, which puts the "Nobody Believed in Us!" chip on their shoulder. Newbury definitely used that last season.)
NYU:
How does a 1-5 team make this list? By having those 5 losses against: St. Francis, George Mason, Stevens, and Nazareth. They have some work to do in order to bounce back, and their schedule doesn't look as if it will get any easier. They have a bomber on the outside in Wintermeyer though, and Hodgson can have some big games. Time will tell whether they belong on this list, or were put here more on reputation.
BARUCH:
This team is going to be interesting to say the least. BIG transfers in Pablo Oliviera and Erik Kowalski (Random Tangent: What the heck happened to make these two leave?? Hunter would be incredible this year if these two were still there. Wish I had the backstory on this). Add Senior Levent to the mix, and they'll be a force to reckon with all season. Plenty of tests this season to see whether they can gel or just be one of those coulda-been teams we see all too often. I predict plenty of upset victories, as well as many disappointing losses.
CARTHAGE:
Always hard to gauge a team that is non-East Coast, but they seem to be capable of doing some damage, providing Rivier with their only loss of the season in a 5-set thriller. They seem to be working out the kinks still with losses to Endicott/Baruch, but with one of the toughest schedules you'll find, they should be able to pull some quality wins when they fly out to the east coast on Feb. 13-14 (matches against Stevens/Medaille/Vassar), as well as when they host a tournament for spring break (PBU, UC-Santa Cruz, NYU, Nazareth).
EASTERN MENNONITE:
GREAT middles in Reesor/Coto, one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, and a tough home gym to play in. Strong 5-set win against Mount Olive, as well as a 5-setter against Emmanuel, and they look to build on their semi-final appearance in the NECVA tournament last year. Keep your eye on their progress in up and coming matches against PBU, as well as the Nazareth tournament in 3 weeks, which will be the first time they go up against the top teams.
HUNTER:
Did I mention I'm still sad they didn't keep Oliviera/Kowalski? Would have been a fun team to watch... Despite that, they are still a scrappy team with triple-double machines Ripoll/Jakubiak blasting away as well as running hands in a complex 6-3 offense. Stevens handled them pretty easily, but they've taken games from Nazareth/NYU/Newbury/Ramapo. When they're on fire, they can play with the best. In the big picture? Their lack of height hurts, as well as gaping holes in the block. Still, be ready for them to always flirt with the bottom of the AVCA top 15, as well as pulling some upset wins in the process.
MEDAILLE:
I'm still not sold on this team, but with wins over Baruch (although I hear they didn't have their full roster), Endicott, and MSOE, they at least need to be mentioned. Led by Ryan Murdie, a versatile middle that can play all the way around, they'll have plenty of matches to earn this when they play Nazareth/Hunter/EMU/Stevens/Vassar.
FOURTH TIER: WE COULD HAVE BEEN A CONTENDER...
(Probably gonna take heat for this group, because this consists of teams that probably feel they belong in the third tier, although FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE they're probably just below it. They'll give every team a game, and they'll have their share of upsets, but in the big picture, they probably won't get much of a shot at the Molten's this year. MY OPINION. NOT FACT. With this being one of the most exciting years Division III has probably ever seen, there are plenty of teams that can fight for the top. You disagree? Spend a few hours of your own constructing one of these.)
EMMANUEL:
After playing them yesterday, I can tell you this team has the capability of doing some damage. They pulled 2 sets out from under us before we got our act together and started rising to the occasion. That was without their starting setter. They've also taken EMU/New Paltz to 5. A bit weak in the middle, but they've got a big opposite putting up a strong block, as well as a strong outside attack with Abram/Townsend able to hit from all positions. Lots of talent, probably have the most potential to bump up to the third tier, and they'll have a chance to do so with matches against Rivier/Ramapo/Hunter/Baruch in the next 3 weeks.
PHILADELPHIA BIBLE UNIVERSITY:
They had a great run last year, surprising a lot of teams. However, they still seem to only have 2 strong hitters, and they won't catch teams off-guard like last year. I'm sure Brubaker will continue to blast 5-6 kills a game, but once teams start keying on him, they'll have to turn to others if they expect to beat any of the teams listed above.
ENDICOTT:
Big win against Carthage, but losses against MSOE/Baruch/Medaille can spoil that somewhat... Great All-Americans in Coleman/Witofsky, and apparently they have a 6-7 opposite that is a roofing machine, but will they be able to hang with the top teams? We shall see.
Side note: Remember Clay Ostrander? Transferred to Pacific from Endicott, doesn't get too much time playing there. It would have been his senior year... Imagine if he had stayed! Could have boosted this team to 2nd-tier easy.
LASELL:
Definite Darkhorse to keep your eyes on this year... great start with a 4-set win over MIT. I've seen them during pre-season, and their starters look pretty good. Freshman setter runs a great offense, can bang on the outside as well. I think they'll be close to the third tier, and perhaps they'll get a chance to prove me wrong this Tuesday :).
MSOE:
Wish I had more information on this team. Tell them to update their site. My school doesn't have a gym, but even we've updated our page for the 2009 season. Just for that, I'm not writing a recap for them.
SUNY NEW PALTZ:
Wins over Emmanuel/MIT, Loss to Hunter. Talent is there, but they're going to have their work cut out for them in order to crack the top 15.
FIFTH TIER: UP AND COMING?
MIT:
Malcolm Bean is still not playing, so that could change their luck. Still, wins over a crippled Elms/Lesley combined with losses to New Paltz/Lasell leaves a bit to be desired. Don't count them out quite yet though...
ELMS:
Disappointing start. Despard's transferring to play basketball elsewhere had more repercussions than anyone probably expected. Two of the side hitters have been battling knee injuries, and they still are having issues getting their blue chipper eligible to play. Will they re-group to meet all the preseason hype? Time will tell.
NJCU:
Decent recruiting class, still probably needs some work, but could turn some heads this season. Keep your eye on them.
Time for real homework. Boooo...
No comments:
Post a Comment